Free Printable Thanksgiving Alphabet Activity for Kids

Learning Alphabet Letter Recognition in Preschool Worksheets

LETTER RECOGNITION WORKSHEETS AND ACTIVITIES

TEACHING LETTERS TAKES A LOT OF TIME AND REPETITION. THIS THANKSGIVING THEMED GAME IS AN ENGAGING WAY FOR KIDS TO PRACTICE.

The fun Thanksgiving preschool activity is the perfect way to engage kids in the holiday while giving them valuable practice with letter recognition. Extend your turkey activities for preschool by making play dough letters on paper plates, or other turkey crafts/Thanksgiving crafts.

Learning letters of the alphabet forms a crucial foundation for learning to read. When kids have exposure and repetition with letter names, letter formations, and sounds, they will find it easier to learn how to decode words in later reading instruction.

The holiday season can be full of distractions for our young learners. Preschool Thanksgiving activities are an ideal way to keep kids’ interest while still giving them the skill practice they need all year long.

Because learning letters and sounds requires much repetition, changing themes throughout the year to work on the same skills and knowledge is a fresh start for students.

Use the turkey activity about letters as a starting point for conversations about letters and sounds:

• Is the letter formed with straight/curved/both lines?
• How is the uppercase alike/different from the lowercase?
• What sound does this letter make?
• Can you think of a word(s) that begins with the same sound?

What Can Kids Learn While Playing the Letters Thanksgiving Activity for Preschool?

TURKEY PRESCHOOL ACTIVITIES

HANDS-ON LEARNING ACTIVITIES ALLOW KIDS TO ACCESS KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS WITH MULTIPLE SENSES.

The Thanksgiving Alphabet Spin & Stamp works on important pre-reading skills:

• Letter identification
• Sound identification
• Uppercase/lowercase discernment
• Fine motor development

Why Is It Important For Kids To Learn Letters?

Letter identification of both uppercase and lowercase letters forms an important foundation for learning to read. Hands-on activities make it fun and interesting for young learners.

Background Knowledge

When students understand letters of the alphabet and can name and match them, they have a lot of knowledge to draw from when they start learning letter sounds and basic decoding.

Connect Letters to Words

Learning letter names helps children make important connections, like each letter stands for a particular sound and when we string them together it makes a word.

Alphabetic Principle

Learning letter names contributes to understanding the alphabetic principle: The idea that written language is made up of letters that correspond to sounds in spoken language.

Increases Automaticity

The more activities and games children play while learning letter names/sounds helps them develop automaticity. The easier it is to recall and match letter names/sounds, the easier it will be to learn to read.

How to Make The Thanksgiving Alphabet Spin & Stamp

To Prep:

To use the Thanksgiving Spin & Stamp activity simply print and go! There is no prep work needed. You can print on regular paper.

To create a spinner, place a paper clip around the tip of the pencil as shown below. Or you can place a paper clip on a paper fastener and insert the fastener through the center of the spinner.

To Play:

Hold the pencil down and use a finger to flick the paperclip to spin it. Then stamp the uppercase or lowercase letter that was spun. We love these kid-sized alphabet stamps because they are super easy for the kids to hold and see what they are stamping.

The spinner will land on either the upper case letter or lower case letter. Your child will then pick the stamp for that letter and press it onto the paper.

Extend the Activity:

Alphabet Books

You can also pair the Thanksgiving literacy activity for preschool with themed alphabet books for the perfect writing station! You can read the books with the kids or have them explore the books independently.

Use a Pencil

For students who are ready for letter tracing and writing, they can use a pencil/crayon/marker to practice writing the letters instead of stamping them.

Practice Sounds

Instead of just using the learning activity for letter recognition, you can ask children to identify the sound each letter makes, and name a few words that begin with that sound (/p/ pumpkin pie)!

More Thanksgiving Activities You’ll Love:

• Thanksgiving “Flip” I Spy Game
• Turkey CVC Word Building Mat
• DIY Thanksgiving Sensory Bottle

Spin & Stamp Worksheets to Try:

• Apple Spin & Stamp Worksheets
• Pumpkin Spin & Stamp Worksheets
• Farm Spin & Stamp Worksheets